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Iceland to Decrease Emissions by 40 Percent

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Iceland to Decrease Emissions by 40 Percent

The government of Iceland announced their climate goals this week ahead of the World Climate Summit in Paris in December. Iceland will be joining Norway and the EU in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, compared to their status in 1990.

Iceland’s goal is in line with the country’s obligations according to the second part of the Kyoto Protocol, where Iceland agreed to the joint emission goals of European states in the period 2013-2020, as it says on the website of the Icelandic Ministry for the Environment.

The 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Paris November 30 to December 11, 2015. The plan is to reach a global agreement on climate issues after 2020, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

The Kyoto Protocol only includes 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and includes agreements with a limited group of industrial countries, whereas the new agreement will be based on ambitious yet realistic goals set by the governments of each country, both industrial and developing countries.

A global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions could not be reached during the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit but people are more optimistic about the upcoming climate summit in Paris.

China and the U.S., two of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, who weren’t party to the Kyoto Protocol, have announced their climate goals.